In an all-American second-round match at Wimbledon, No. 6 seed Taylor Fritz defeated world No. 113 Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.

Fritz and Kypson were two of the 12 American men to reach the second round at the All England Club this year, and for much of the afternoon, Fritz showed why he is considered one of the leading grass-court players in the game.

The 27-year-old, who has won five ATP Tour-level grass-court titles—second only to Novak Djokovic among active players—was dominant through the opening two sets.

(AFP)

Fritz controlled rallies from the baseline and served superbly, striking six aces in the opening set alone. By the end of the match, he had fired 19 aces, landed 70 percent of his first serves and won 82 percent of those points. He also won 108 total points to Kypson’s 80 while committing just 22 unforced errors compared to Kypson’s 37.

Kypson, an All-American at Texas A&M, tried to disrupt Fritz’s rhythm in the second set with an effective slice backhand, but it made little difference. Fritz continued to dictate play and finally converted his third set point of the set when Kypson pulled a forehand wide.

The third set proved much more competitive.

Kypson earned his first break of the match in the opening game, helped by a pair of Fritz double faults. Any momentum, however, was short-lived. Fritz broke straight back when Kypson sailed a backhand long, an immediate setback after finally breaking through.

As the set progressed, Kypson began swinging more freely. His inside-out forehand repeatedly found its mark, and he played far more aggressively than he had in the opening two sets. A marathon service game at 4-4 lasted 11 minutes and featured multiple deuces before Kypson finally held to stay level.

For the first time all afternoon, Fritz appeared under a bit of pressure, perhaps sensing he should have been serving for the match sooner.

Still, his biggest weapons remained reliable. Fritz held for 5-4 and again for 6-5 behind big serving, finishing with 19 aces. While he generates plenty of power from both wings—particularly his forehand—his compact backhand was equally dependable throughout the afternoon.

Serving to stay in the match at 5-6, Kypson saved several match points with bold shot-making, including another huge inside-out forehand winner and some deft touch around the net. But on Fritz’s fourth match point, Kypson attempted a backhand lob that sailed long after Fritz tracked down a drop shot, sending the sixth seed into the third round.

Fritz has yet to drop a set this fortnight and looked particularly sharp through the opening two sets before being tested late by an improved Kypson.

If Fritz hopes to contend for the Wimbledon title, his transition game may become increasingly important. His serve and groundstrokes do so much damage from the baseline, but against the very best players he will likely need to finish more points at the net.

Kypson, meanwhile, can leave Wimbledon encouraged. After reaching the second round and pushing one of the tournament favorites in the final set, the American is also set to take home the biggest paycheck of his career.

In his post-match press conference, Fritz said: “Yeah, it was super windy in the beginning. I feel like a little nervy in the beginning because it’s sometimes tough to trust my shots when it’s so windy.
“I settled into the match well, did a good job returning his serve. I thought I served really well most of the match, outside of just one game.

“Yeah, in the end it was just a clean match.”

When asked how it felt to finish the match in straight sets, Fritz said:
“Yeah, it feels great, especially when you’re first on. I feel like I have a good amount of time the rest of the day. Especially just with the feeling of how that third set was going, you play these sets where you feel like you’re in control, you’re the one with the break chances. It’s looking good, then you don’t get your chances, which was happening. I just wasn’t really converting on the break points. I had a lot of deuces and 30-alls where I was making bad errors and not breaking.

“You get those sets sometimes where they just kind of steal it from you in a breaker, they get one break point. I was a little worried that’s where it was headed. We go to a fourth, it can kind of turn into a battle.

“I was happy to secure that break at the end.”